The Alt In Our Stars Podcast: Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes Details New Album 'Aureate Gloom'

12/19/2014

Chad Kamenshine

of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes.

Of Montreal recently announced their lucky 13th studio album -- Aureate Gloom, out March 3 on longtime label Polyvinyl. Bandleader Kevin Barnes is a pretty interesting guy, having guided the outfit from its late 1990s twee pop "happy yellow bumblebees" sound (as he puts it) to full-on psychedelia with hints of prog. He stopped by Billboard's New York office to talk about the new record and look back on the band's evolution.

"Lady Gaga…they don't really seem like artists in the sense that people like Lou Reed or Leonard Cohen seem to be, as far as being legitimate writers," Barnes tells host Chris Payne. "They seem more like entertainers." Even for a band well-known for its glammed-up, face-painted stage show, the frontman insists on drawing a line between what he sees as style and substance.

How does one become a "legitimate writer"? What personal experiences inspired the new record? What songs can fans expect on the band's 2015 tour? For all this and more, check out the stream above, and don't forget to subscribe to The Alt In Our Stars -- Billboard's weekly alternative music podcast -- via iTunes.